I love skiing for particular reasons. Beyond the thrill and the scenery, it has become a medium, a bridge connecting me to people from entirely different worlds. This became even clearer once I chose to grow through teaching (I enjoyed introducing others to this beautiful sports) rather than competition. In a single lesson, I might share the slope with a finance executive, a socialite from a wealthy family, or even a fellow instructor. I'm rarely the strongest skier in the room, but the conversations and small exchanges that come with it are what I treasure most. Through skiing, my social world has grown far beyond the walls of my school.

​

But skiing offers me more than connection. It also gives me peace, a kind of quiet purification. When the wind cuts sharp across my goggles and the snow sprays up beside my skis, and the mountains rise ahead, vast and unmoving, what worry could possibly survive that view?